Alexei Romanov: The Last Tsarevich, and Tsar Alexis I
Alexei Romanov usually means Alexei Nikolaevich (1904-1918), the haemophiliac heir of Nicholas II, killed at 13 and identified by DNA in 2008. This page also covers the earlier Tsar Alexis I (reigned 1645-1676) and how to tell them apart.
Last updated September 2026
Contents10
- Alexei Romanov, the last tsarevich, at a glance
- The long-awaited heir
- Haemophilia and the royal family
- Rasputin and the court
- Revolution and death
- The missing remains and their identification
- Tsar Alexis I: the other Alexei Romanov
- Telling the two apart
- How Alexei is remembered
- Verdict: who was Alexei Romanov
Alexei Romanov is a name shared by two figures in Russian history. Most people who search for it mean Alexei Nikolaevich. He was the only son of the last tsar, Nicholas II. As heir to the throne, he lived with haemophilia.
He was killed with his family in 1918, aged 13. The other is Tsar Alexis I. He ruled Russia in the 1600s and was the father of Peter the Great. This page covers both and keeps their records apart.
TL;DR: Alexei Nikolaevich (1904-1918) was Nicholas II's heir. He had haemophilia, which drew the mystic Rasputin into the royal household. He never reigned. He was killed with his family in Yekaterinburg on 16-17 July 1918. His remains were found in 2007 and identified in 2008. They are still unburied. Tsar Alexis I, a different Alexei Romanov, reigned from 1645 to 1676.
Alexei Romanov, the last tsarevich, at a glance
| Field | Record | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Born | 12 August 1904 (30 July, Old Style), Peterhof | Reviewed |
| Parents | Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna | Reviewed |
| Title | Tsarevich, heir apparent | Reviewed |
| Illness | Haemophilia, identified in 2009 as haemophilia B | Reviewed |
| Died | Night of 16-17 July 1918, Yekaterinburg, aged 13 | Reviewed |
| Remains found | 2007, near Yekaterinburg | Reviewed |
| DNA identification announced | 2008 | Reviewed |
| Burial | Not buried | Disputed |
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The long-awaited heir
Nicholas II and Alexandra had four daughters before Alexei: Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. Alexei was born in August 1904. Under Russian law only a male could inherit while male heirs existed. So his birth secured the dynasty's future. He held the title tsarevich, heir to the throne.
Within weeks of his birth, his parents learned he had haemophilia. Even small bumps could cause dangerous bleeding inside the body. The family kept the illness secret. They feared it would weaken trust in the dynasty.
Haemophilia and the royal family
Alexei got the condition through his mother, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Victoria's son Leopold had haemophilia. Two of her daughters carried the gene into the royal families of Russia, Spain and Prussia. The family line is traced on the Queen Victoria family tree page.
Which kind of haemophilia
Alexei's disease: haemophilia B.
Status: Reviewed Identified by a peer-reviewed DNA study.
Note: In 2009 a team led by Evgeny Rogaev studied DNA from the Romanov remains. They published the results in Science. They found a mutation that causes haemophilia B, a lack of clotting factor IX. They traced it through Alexandra to Queen Victoria. Before this study, the exact type of the "royal disease" was not known.
Sources: Rogaev et al., "Genotype analysis identifies the cause of the royal disease", Science, 2009 (PubMed); Science, "Case Closed: Famous Royals Suffered From Hemophilia".
Rasputin and the court
The family's search for help brought the Siberian peasant and mystic Grigori Rasputin into their lives. Accounts from the time say he calmed Alexei during bleeding crises. The best known came in 1912, when the boy nearly died at Spała in Poland.
Historians still debate how, or whether, Rasputin helped. His hold over Alexandra, and through her the government, hurt the monarchy's name. Nobles murdered him in December 1916.
Revolution and death
Nicholas II gave up the throne in March 1917. He did so for Alexei as well, fearing his son's health could not bear the burden. He passed the throne to his brother Michael, who refused it. The family was held at Tsarskoye Selo, then at Tobolsk in Siberia. Last came the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg.
On the night of 16-17 July 1918, Bolsheviks shot Alexei, his parents, his four sisters and four servants in the basement. For the events, and the dispute over who ordered them, see Romanov execution.
The missing remains and their identification
Local researchers found the main grave in 1979. It was dug up in 1991 and held nine bodies. Two were missing: Alexei and one of his sisters, most likely Maria. Their absence fuelled decades of claims that some of the children had survived.
In 2007, amateur searchers found burned remains of two young people near the first site. In April 2008, Russian officials said DNA tests confirmed they were Alexei and his sister.
Burial of Alexei and Maria
Remains of Alexei and his sister, identified 2008.
Status: Disputed Identified by DNA. Not buried. Not accepted by the Church.
Note: The BBC reported in April 2008 that tests had confirmed the remains were the two missing children. The rest of the family were buried in Saint Petersburg in 1998. Alexei and Maria have not been.
The Russian Orthodox Church has not accepted the findings. Russian investigators reopened the case in 2015. The Moscow Times reported in 2020 that they had confirmed their findings again. As of the latest reports, the burial is still pending.
Sources: BBC News, "Tsar's lost children identified", 30 April 2008; The Moscow Times, "Investigators Re-Confirm Last Russian Royal Family's Remains", 2020.
Tsar Alexis I: the other Alexei Romanov
The earlier Alexei Romanov is usually called Alexis in English. He was the second Romanov tsar. He took over from his father, Michael I, in 1645 at the age of 16. He reigned until his death in 1676. People at the time called him "the Most Quiet".
| Field | Record | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Reign | 1645-1676 | Reviewed |
| Father | Michael I, first Romanov tsar | Reviewed |
| Law code | The Ulozhenie of 1649, which bound peasants to the land | Reviewed |
| Ukraine | Pereiaslav agreement with the Cossacks, 1654 | Reviewed |
| Church | Patriarch Nikon's reforms and the Old Believer schism | Reviewed |
| Children who reigned | Feodor III, Ivan V, Sophia (as regent) and Peter I | Reviewed |
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His reign also saw the Cossack revolt led by Stenka Razin in 1670-1671. He married twice. His first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, was the mother of Feodor III, Sophia and Ivan V. His second, Natalia Naryshkina, was the mother of Peter I. Peter's story is told on the Peter the Great page.
Telling the two apart
| Alexei Nikolaevich | Tsar Alexis I | |
|---|---|---|
| Lived | 1904-1918 | 1629-1676 |
| Reigned | Never | 1645-1676 |
| Father | Nicholas II | Michael I |
| Known for | Haemophilia; death in 1918 | Law code of 1649; church schism |
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Tsar Alexis was Alexei Nikolaevich's direct ancestor, nine generations back. The line ran through Peter I, his daughter Anna and the later emperors.
How Alexei is remembered
The Russian Orthodox Church made Nicholas II, Alexandra and their five children saints in 2000, as passion-bearers. The Church Abroad had declared them martyrs in 1981. Alexei's story has inspired many books and films. So have the rumours that he or a sister survived. DNA evidence has ruled out survival.
For Alexei's illness and his family's last years, see Nicholas and Alexandra and The Romanov Sisters. Both are in our guide to the best books about the Romanovs.
Verdict: who was Alexei Romanov
In most searches, Alexei Romanov means Alexei Nikolaevich. He was Nicholas II's heir, with haemophilia. He was killed with his family in July 1918, aged 13. His remains were found in 2007 and identified by DNA in 2008.
Unlike the rest of his family, he has not been buried. So this page marks that record as disputed. Tsar Alexis I, who reigned from 1645 to 1676, is a separate Alexei Romanov. For every Romanov ruler, see the Romanov dynasty hub.
Sources checked for this page
- Britannica, "Alexis, prince of Russia (1904-1918)"
- Britannica, "Alexis, tsar of Russia"
- BBC News, "Tsar's lost children identified", 2008
- Reuters, "Russian says remains of last Tsar's son identified", 2008
- Rogaev et al., "Genotype analysis identifies the cause of the royal disease", Science, 2009
- The Moscow Times, "Investigators Re-Confirm Last Russian Royal Family's Remains", 2020
Questions people also ask
Is Alexei Romanov the same as Tsar Alexis I?
No. Alexei Romanov most often means Alexei Nikolaevich (1904-1918), Nicholas II's son. Tsar Alexis I (reigned 1645-1676) was a much earlier Romanov ruler and the father of Peter the Great.
Did Alexei Nikolaevich ever become tsar?
No. His father abdicated in March 1917 for himself and for Alexei, in favour of his brother Michael, who declined. Bolsheviks killed the family in July 1918.
What illness did Alexei have?
Haemophilia, a disorder that stops blood clotting properly. A 2009 DNA study of the family's remains identified it as haemophilia B, inherited through his mother from Queen Victoria.
Has Alexei Romanov been buried?
No. His remains and those of his sister Maria were found in 2007 and identified by DNA in 2008, but they have not been buried. The Russian Orthodox Church has not accepted the identification, and investigations reopened in 2015.